Displaying posts labeled "Children’s space"

From a forgotten house in the suburbs of Paris, lost to years of neglect, to a contemporary family home threefold in size.

“It’s difficult to imagine the spectacular transformation this house has undergone. At the request of its new owners, a young couple with two kids, the renovation involved a downstairs extension and roof elevation, increasing the size of the house from a meager 40m2 to a generous 140m2.

The first step, in order to start afresh, involved removing all the existing ‘lean-to’ annexes, which had been added over the years without much coherence. A new extension was then built to the left side of the house, to preserve space for the garden to the right. The new kitchen being located in the extension downstairs, which gives directly onto the the garden.

In place of an old veranda, the exterior wall was brought forward in order to align the facade accross the width of the house. The previous small and dark living room becoming a large, open-plan living area bathed in natural light. Full length patio doors give directly onto the garden. A contemporary woodland wall decor to the rear of the living room dialogues with the garden. Upstairs, the roof extension creating a 2nd floor houses a spacious parental suite.

The exterior facade follows traditional 19th century Parisian century design codes, with Persian-style shutters, cast iron balcony railings and a grey slate roof. The large windows, their painted black frames, as well as the wooden terrace, brings a contemporary edge.”

Brilliant transformation like this give so much hope to those of us living in old houses in dire need of renovation. From ugly duckling to beautiful swan through grit and determination, a healthy budget and the talent of a fabulous architectural firm like Camille Hermand Architectures. Look out for the before photos below of the complete change the dingy and dank to a bright, light-filled family home.

My sister and I shared a bedroom for many years as children. There would have been far fewer fights if our parents had divided our room like this. Beds above, desks below and pull out dividing walls. Hang on. There better be another reading cubby on the other wall or it won’t end well 😉 Together Apart by Melbourne-based Architecture Architecture.

The headline says it all. We don’t feature children’s rooms very much on the blog. I guess it’s because neither Kim nor I have any of our own. I’d like to say that if I did I’d love a room like this for them but truth be told I would have loved a room like this for me growing up. You see I’ve got a thing for slides. L’habitació d’en Guillem by Barcelona-based interior designer Marta Castellano. Photos: Davide Pellegrini (You can see more of her work here.)

Man, do I ever wish I had a place to hang out in that was this cool growing up. I’m going to bet this teen suddenly became a VERY popular kid when this project was completed. What can only be described as the ultimate ‘man cave’, Inhouse Brand Architects has converted the unused lounge area of a Fresnaye (Cape Town, South Africa) residence into an industrial-inspired dream pad for the family’s lucky teenage boy and his friends. Polished concrete flooring encompasses the entire room and sets the foundation for the interior scheme.

Another striking design feature comes in the form of a grandiose, curved timber wave that cascades from the ceiling down to the floor to create an extraordinary zone for watching movies. This “wave” is crafted out of steel fins that are clad with timber and lit up with three LED strips. It is kitted out with surround sound to produce a genuine movie theatre experience.

Next to the bar and adjacent the timber wave is comfortable booth seating. Framed with timber and upholstered in inviting shades of indigo, this nook provides an enticing ‘chill’ spot.

A fully functional concrete skate bowl plays a major part in the design. To embellish this remarkable feature, emerging South African street artist, Jack Fox, applied his signature illustrations to the walls surrounding the bowl.